Mr. Stephen Hayes

President and CEO of The Corporate Council on Africa

Stephen Hayes is president and CEO of The Corporate Council on Africa. In his 13-year tenure as president, he has led CCA to become fully engaged in the most political and economic issues affecting commerce between the U.S. and Africa. These complex issues range from intricate trade legislation and small business development to workplace AIDS concerns. He promotes CCA’s mandate “to increase and support U.S.-Africa economic engagement,” while creating an organization that recognizes a “one world” concept through ongoing international forums. For his work at CCA, Hayes was awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce its highest award in 2008, The Ron Brown Award for International Leadership.

The international leadership qualifications of Hayes are lifelong, beginning with a 1968 volunteer stint in a Middle East refugee camp. Before coming to CCA, he was engaged in the international non-profit sector, including key positions in some of the world’s largest international non-profit organizations, including the World Alliance of YMCAs in Geneva, Switzerland, and the world’s largest student exchange organization, AFS International. Hayes founded in 1985 the American Center for International Leadership, which was funded by the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, Ford Foundation and others.

A tireless advocate of U.S.-Africa trade, he has assembled a stellar multi-cultural, multinational staff at CCA. Hayes has traveled to more than 120 nations, underscoring his innate respect for peoples and cultures around the world. He has received other numerous awards for his international work and leadership ability. In 2008, the Africa Chamber of Commerce of the U.S. honored Hayes with its award for outstanding contribution to U.S.-Africa relations, following then U.S. Sen. Barack Obama as the previous recipient. In 2004, the Transnet Foundation, South Africa’s largest foundation, chaired by Bishop Tutu, presented him the coveted Phelophepa Humanitarian Award for his organization’s contributions to economic development in South Africa. Hayes was a principal founder of the Infant Formula Campaign, often popularly known as the “Nestle’s Boycott” the only successful global citizens’ campaign.